Considering Home Values & Community In Kensington Real Estate

Yesterday’s New York Times Real Estate section featured Crown Heights, Brooklyn: A Place of Her Own, the story of Manhattan native and 25-year-old Curbed employee Jackie Goldstein’s search for an outer borough home under $300,000. The article follows Goldstein through Prospect Heights, Park Slope, and other nearby neighborhoods, including her experience on our home turf. The Times says:

A two-bedroom co-op in a four-story Kensington building on Avenue C had the kind of exposed brick wall Ms. Goldstein loved, and 700 sunny square feet. The asking price was $275,000; monthly maintenance was about $675. “I was totally seduced,” Ms. Goldstein said.

In Kensington, “people are often surprised at how much they can still get for their money,” Mr. Lewis said. He drove Ms. Goldstein around the neighborhood.

“During the day, in the car, as we were cruising by, I thought it was really cool,” she said. She liked the diverse population and “all these authentic hole-in-the-walls that I was so excited about.”

But when she returned with her mother on foot at night, she had a “really weird experience,” she said. “Everyone on the street was a middle-aged man.” When the two entered a restaurant, “the whole restaurant stopped and everyone looked at me and my mom.”

Goldstein eventually ended up buying in Crown Heights, while the aforementioned local co-op sold for $300,000. Which leaves us with a few questions, like if you’ve looked or bought in the area recently, have you been pleasantly surprised by the bang for your buck–or have units you’re interested in gone for $25,000 above asking price? And do you think Ms. Goldstein’s assessment of a diverse neighborhood by day that turns uncomfortable for women by night is a fair one, or did she miss out on a great location for no good reason?

Photo via ditmasparkcorner